Outsider Stories: Another Mercer
by HunterOrion15
Summary: So, when I died, I wasn't expecting rebirth. No biggie right? Only one problem: I got reborn as the older brother Alex Mercer. Can you get more cliche than that? I'm so sure that someone's laughing at me from up there. Rated M because... this is Prototype for god's sake.
1. Origins

Chapter One: Origins

 _AN: So...hi there! Name's Orion. This is currently my second story, and if you want to check out the first one, just take a look at my profile! For now, just sit back, and read a good old fashioned origin story._

You know, dying really sucks. Not to mention it is extremely painful. So you must be wondering, what the hell am I talking about? Well, simple really, let me explain.

I'm not going to lie, I was always an average person. Cliche, am I right? Anyway, I never amounted to anything major, and I just breezed through high school. I was far too lazy (and poor for that matter) to attend college, so I went from job to job, managing as best I could. Of course I head to screw it up one day.

So I was just leaving my former workplace, not my fault mind you, trying to think of what to do next. It was a pretty dull life, I'm not going to lie. Anyway, sometime later I was at my apartment looking through help wanted adds when I smelt something off. Man, something was really burning. Wait a minute…. oh shit, the building's on fire!

Alright, keep calm. Ah fuck it. I ran to the window, and went down the fire escape. Making my way down, I noticed that the fire was slowly spreading downwards. Thankfully I was only on the second floor, so I managed to make my way down quick. I had just made it down when I heard someone shout.

"My daughter's still up there!" I looked to see Penelope, one of my neighbors, in near tears. I sighed, this was going to suck. "Don't worry Penny, I got this." I said, before running back into the building.

God this was a horrible idea. The smoke was burning my lungs, and I could barely see. I made my way up the stairs making my way towards Penny's apartment. Shit, I use to go here all the time. I could hear Nat, Penny's daughter, crying.

"Nat! Hold on I'm on my way!" I called above the fire, kicking down the door. Fuck, it was hard to breath in here! I could see Nat had managed to hide in a cupboard, huh smart kid. I made my way to the cupboard, ignoring the pain in my chest as it got worse. I managed to pull Nat out, and looked to the fire escape, where there was a firefighter waiting. Thank god. Alright, breath… Shit, bad idea! Anyway, I made my way to the firefighter, passing Nat over to him. That's when shit decided to go down. As soon as I passed Nat over, the firefighter and I had to take a step back because the roof started to collapse. Well shit. The firefighter just stood there, trying to figure out a way to help.

"Don't worry about me! Get out of here!" I yelled. There was a moment of hesitation, but they were gone, right out the window. Suddenly, a beam fell down on me, pinning me to the floor. Yep, there goes … all of my ribs. Ow. Hey sweet, a bright light! Well, time to ignore what all those movies warned me about: time to go into the light.

* * *

So after going to the light, it seemed a little, oh who the fuck am I kidding, it was pitch black. Wait... sweet! Light! Wait, why is it so cramped in here? Oh fuck no. I tried to speak, but all I heard was wails. Yep, I just got reborn. I could see a nurse smiling down at me before speaking.

"Well Mrs. Mercer, it looks like you have a son. Oh here comes the other one!" Mercer? Always wanted a name like that. Wait, other? Sure enough, out comes baby number two. Nice! Younger sibling for the win. Now comes the name game. " Oh, another boy! Congratulations! What would like to name them Mrs. Mercer?" My mother smiled at the two of us'

"John." She said, looking down at me, and gestured to my little brother. "And Alex. Johnathan and Alex Mercer." My eyes widened. ALEX MERCER? My little brother is ALEX MERCER? Well shit. Looks like someone up there hates me.

 _AN: So, as our protagonist has discovered, his world just got a whole lot more complicated. Like it? Hate it? Whatever the fact is, please read, review and enjoy! Thanks!_


	2. Timeskip

Chapter 2: Timeskip

 _AN: So, I figured I wouldn't bore you guys with childhood, as it get's old fast. So here we're just going to skim all the boring parts and do a little time skip to present day, Enjoy!_

So, I'm just going to skip over childhood, because there is no way in hell I'm talking about it. Suffice to say despite having to adapt to almost no modern day technology, life was… interesting to say the least. I would get into far more fights than I did in my old life, mainly due to Alex, but also because some kids couldn't keep their mouths shut. Apparently somebody managed to find out mom was arrested, and boy was that oh so _fun_ to deal with. This is what would happen: Kid inserts foot into mouth, Alex would punch him, I would help out, and everyone lost.

Despite this happening far more times than I can count, it never really affected us. Oh and then there was Dana. Man, I thought they were exaggerating when it was mentioned that Alex was Dana's only parental figure, but they were not. Thanks to Mom always being drunk, it was up to yours truly to give Dana The Talk, threaten any boyfriend she had etc. Well it was a combination of me and Alex but you get the point. As the years went by, I could see that Alex was getting more and more distant, and there was not changing it.

I managed to convince my _extremely_ stubborn siblings to give self defense courses a shot. It was perfect for Alex to channel his rage growing up, and gave Dana an excuse to try and pummel to me actually making an effort this time, I at least got a college degree while Alex went off to Columbia University. From there, it was simple living. I 'conveniently got an apartment in New York, and got a job as a bike courier. Hell, for a while I thought I could live normally, but then I got a call from Dana one day. Shit.

* * *

It was a pretty peaceful day, and boy was it boring. I had already finished up my rounds at work so I had the day off. That's when my phone rang. I looked at the number and cursed a bit. Dana. If she was calling that means it was almost time. I quickly answered. "Mercer speaking." I said in my most professional voice. Which just meant I deepened it and took any emotion I had out of it.

Dana snorted on the other line. "Yeah yeah Mr. Professional. Keep this up and you'll start to sound like Alex" She said. Ouch, I could feel that.

I put a hand to my chest, gasping dramatically. "Oh why must you wound me so sister?" Yeah, this was how almost all of our interactions were. "Seriously though sis, what's up?" I asked.

She hesitated. Shit, she never hesitated. Not good at all. She finally spoke. "Have you heard from Alex recently? He hasn't been picking up his phone." I rolled my eyes, scoffing. Alex. He was good as a kid, but sometime when we ended up going our separate ways he developed a case of Assholey-itis. The bastard ended up just ignoring me and Dana after a fight we had, for a while he didn't even care about us, and he just recently started talking to Dana again. Me? He hadn't talked to me in about six years, and I never felt like talking to him either.

I was perfectly fine ignoring him, but Dana wasn't. "Dana, you know we haven't talked since that fight. Why? Has something happened?" I asked. I knew, but for appearances sake I played ignorant.

"No- I mean… yes. Look he had me looking up this company he worked for, Gentek, but when I sent him some information he just… vanished. Look, can you just go check on him? Please?" She said. Shit, I could hear the worry in her voice.

"Ok, ok I'll check up on him. Don't worry, I'll call you back." I said. I was going to regret this. I disconnected the call and made my way to Alex's apartment. While I didn't have a key, I did know a few things. One of those happened to be lockpicking.

Anyway, I went his apartment, and god was it a mess. Everything was thrown around, pictures shattered, even a few dents in the wall. Let's see, there was a photo of me, Alex and Dana on the floor which I pocketed, and a few hundred dollar bills which I also pocketed, and there was Alex's laptop on the desk in front of me. After I quickly downloaded the files onto a USB, because who knows what was on there, I saw a map on the floor next to me with the words 'PENN STATION' circled in red. Ah shit this was going to suck.

 _AN: You guys already know what's about to go down. With our dear protagonist, will he change anything? Who know? Until next time, read, review and enjoy!_


	3. Penn Station

Chapter 3: Penn Station

 _AN: So after a month of rewriting and taking my time trying to fix this, here's the end result. Enjoy._

I shot through the streets, pushing past countless people. Come on move. I was almost there. I knew this was coming, but I didn't make a move. There! I saw Penn Station, I quickly shot down the stairs. That's when I heard the screech of tires above me. Wait what the hell was that? I got my answer immediately.

"Intel says Mercer's here. He has a vial of Blacklight, so watch out. Seal off the area, and move in!" I heard a gruff voice shout. Aw shit, Blackwatch! I made my way deeper into the station, trying to see where Alex went. Jesus, there still people here. I was watching out for that jacket Alex always wore. I still can't believe Dana convinced us to get matching ones. There!

I tore through the crowd. "Alex!" I called out. He turned to me, and I swore I could see some form of fear in his eyes. I managed to get to him "John? What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed out. Shit, he had seen better days. His eyes were bloodshot and he was looking everywhere.

"I'm not here for you asshole. I'm here for Dana. What the hell is going on here? What the hell is Blacklight?" I asked him, hoping he would answer. Oh I got an answer alright. He grabbed me by the scruff of my jacket, and pushed me against the wall. Shit, he got stronger didn't he?

"Where the hell did you learn that name? What are you really doing here John?" He spat out. I ripped his hands off me, and pushed him away. "I'm here because _our_ sister is worried about you. As for Blacklight? It was all over your notes. So I'm going to ask again: What the fuck is going on?"

Alex sighed. Looks like I was getting answers. "Alright. This is Blacklight." He pulled out a vial of black and red liquid. It was… moving. Jesus Christ, that was disturbing. "It's a bioweapon. It… it's unlike anything I've ever seen. I created it with Karen and a few other people, and the government wants to shut me up about it." He continued. That's when I saw the soldiers coming down the stairs about fifty feet away.

Alex saw them as well. "They're here. Go into the bathroom behind you. I'll draw them away. If you see smoke, run. I'm serious John. Get the hell out of here." He said, before running farther into the station. Ah shit. Okay, so I have two choices: run into the bathroom and hide, only to get shot, or follow Alex and get shot. Fuck it.

"Alex wait!" I shouted as I ran after him. I caught up to him rather quickly, and we ran together. Eventually we got surrounded. Fuck this was a lot of guys. "Freeze Mercer!" One guy shouted.

Me and Alex looked at each other. "Which one?" We said in unison. They just aimed their guns. "If you have a plan Alex just do it." I said. Alex looked at me sadly and slipped me something, before moving away from me. The guns followed him, and he moved. He tossed the vial to the ground, and he was lit up. Jesus… I was used to violence… but my brother just died!

The weird thing was, Blacklight didn't spread. It... didn't go in a cloud of smoke. I could see all the civillians around us starting to get dizzy, but I didn't feel any different at all. What the hell?

"What about him?" One of the guys gestured to me. One guy who looked to be in charge approached me. "He's a Mercer. Take him in." He told them. Two of them approached me, and that's when I squeezed what Alex gave me.

Whatever it was, it shattered, cutting into my hand. OUCH! Wait, that's it? Before I knew it I was handcuffed, and I was escorted out of Penn Station. That's when things started to get weird. "What the fuck?!" One of the guys escorting me shouted. Huh?

I looked behind me to see… oh shit! My hand was glowing blue! Suddenly, I felt like I had a massive energy boost. WHOA SHIT ! I moved my hands, and the handcuffs just… broke. Holy shit! What the fuck did Alex give me? Whatever it was… it worked. I punched one of the guards, and he got sent flying. The other raised his weapon to me, and I elbowed him in the gut, sending him to the ground. That's when I did the only natural thing possible: I ran.

 _AN: So John didn't die alongside Alex. And no, he didn't get Blacklight, nor Redlight for that matter. He got something... different. Trust me on this. Well, until next time, I'll see you guys later. Remember: Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	4. New Me, New Problems

Chapter 4: New Me, New Problems

 _AN: So... welcome back. Last time we left off John had just taken something... different from Blacklight. Let's see where this goes shall we?_

Oh god this was amazing. I was sprinting down the street, leaving craters, fucking CRATERS, as my footsteps. I saw a building, and I launched myself off the ground. I whooped in joy as I flew, and I finally stopped, landing on the roof of said building, cracking the ground as I landed.

I… wasn't even tired. Oh my god this was awesome. Man nothing could ruin this moment. That's when reality hit me. Alex was dead. My brother was dead. Oh god what the hell was I going to tell Dana? How was I going to explain this? Suddenly, my head felt as though it was being split in two. What the hell? I stumbled a bit, before falling off the edge of the building and into the alleyway below. That's when everything went black.

* * *

[Some Time Later]

When I woke up, I felt something hit my chest. It felt like a paintball or something. I opened my eyes and looked down. There was a hole in my chest. Looked like a gunshot. Oh. I looked up to see a Blackwatch soldier, his back turned to me.

"Found the other Mercer. He's dead now. Waiting for further instructions over." He said, speaking into a radio. I got up slowly, staggering a bit. He didn't seem to hear me, or simply didn't care. I walked behind him slowly, and instinct took over. Without thinking, I grabbed his head and twisted it violently, breaking his neck instantly. Before I knew what was happening, I... absorbed him. When I killed him, he turned into a bunch of mass that just...shot at me. His gun and sidearm clattered to the floor. Oh god. Oh god I'm going to be sick.

I leaned against the wall, sliding down in horror. I... just killed a man. His memories and actions were racing in my mind. I could see what he had done. This guy killed innocent people, and he also... shot Alex. Suddenly I didn't feel bad about offing this guy. I could also see flashes of... Dana. Oh god, I forgot about her. I pulled out my phone. She had called me so many times. Shit. I dialed her number.

I waited as the phone rang, starting to get anxious. Come on sis pick up. Finally she answered. "John? Where the hell are you? It's been a day already. Are you alright?" She asked immediately. I winced, trying to figure out what I could tell her.

"Dana... it's about Alex. I found him." I finally said, my voice cracking as I held back tears. She gasped on the other end of the line.

"You found him? Put him on then." She told me. I didn't say anything for a bit. "John, what happened?" I could hear the dread in her voice.

"He's gone. I... I couldn't..." I stopped short, not trusting my voice for the moment.

I could hear her crying on the other end of the line. I had to get her out of there. "Dana... Dana listen to me. The people Alex was working for, they might be coming for you. You have to get out of there right now!" I told her, picking myself up.

"Get out? What the fuck are you talking about? John this is insane." Dana told me. I shook my head. Christ does she have to be so stubborn? "Dana please just trust me. I'll explain later, just get out of there now." I pleaded with her. Dana was silent for a minute. "Okay John." She finally answered. Thank god. "I'll call you as soon as I-" That's when I heard something slam open. Her door.

"Dana Mercer?" I heard a gruff voice ask.

"Who the fuck are you? Get the fuck out of here!" I heard Dana shout. That's when I heard a scuffle, and then Dana screamed.

"DANA!" I yelled, hoping she could hear me. Then the line disconnected. I tossed my phone away. It was going to be useless right now. I picked up the pistol the Blackwatch soldier had dropped, checking it over. Thanks to the soldier, I knew how to fight a bit better. I pocketed the pistol, and I ran. Don't worry, I'm coming Dana.

* * *

I ran across the roof tops, not even attempting to be subtle. I was moving at speeds I didn't even think was possible. I could finally see Dana's apartment in the distance. I jumped off the roof I was on, landing in the alley below. Hmm... no one was guarding the place. Good. I walked towards the apartment building, crossing the street discreetly. I moved in, making sure to check around me every so often. Still no one. Weird.

I made my way to Dana's door and pulled out the pistol, inspecting it. It was a Beretta, full magazine. Thirteen rounds. Armor piercing variety as well. Classic sidearm. I opened the door quickly, aiming the gun inside. I moved inside, closing the door behind me.

"Dana? You there?" I called out. No response. I turned on the light. The room was a mess. Furniture was tossed around, there was a crack in the wall, and there was... yep, blood on the floor. "Fuck... Fuck!" I swore as I looked around the apartment. I was too late. That's when I heard movement behind me. I went back to the door, leaning against the wall. I could hear voices... two.

"So what the hell are we doing back here? We already have the Mercer chick." I could hear one man grunt. His voice was filtered, indicating a gas mask of some kind. His footsteps made plenty of noise, so he was decently armored.

"Intel said someone entered the building. The only other person that could be here would be John Mercer, so we have to make sure." The other man responded. Hmm... voice was filtered as well. Footsteps were lighter, so less armored than the first man. I could hear the tell tale rack of a shotgun. Hmm... If memory serves, Blackwatch used Mossbergs, the 590A1 specifically. I shook my head. What the hell? When did I get all tactical? Must have been that Blackwatch guy I killed. Damn, this was going to get weird.

I moved against the wall as the door flew open. Two Blackwatch soldiers walked in. One was brandishing a shotgun alright, and the other was holding an MP5. I shot forward towards the two of them. I moved towards the soldier with the shotgun. He was the bigger threat of the two. I snapped his neck, killing him instantly. As his body and gun hit the floor, the other soldier turned and aimed his gun at me. I knocked the gun away, punching through the soldier's chest. HOLY SHIT! That's when I noticed the two bodies were turning into biomass. Ah shit, I really have to work on that. As the biomass shot towards me, I could feel something... clawing at my mind. So that's what that feels like. That's when I blacked out.

* * *

 _(Start of Web of Intrigue #001)_

 _Memory: Sgt Matthew Kelly_

 _Unknown Voice: You have your orders Sergeant. Do you understand them?_

 _Kelly: Investigate Dana Mercer's apartment and find out information on the unknown._

 _Unknown Voice: Precisely. Any questions?_

 _Kelly: What about Zeus sir? Intel suggests he's alive._

 _Unknown Voice: Zeus is none of your concern at the moment. Complete your first obejective. Then you'll start the search for Zeus._

 _Kelly: Understood sir._

 _(End of Web of Intrigue #001)_

* * *

I gasped, my eyes shooting open. Jesus Christ that was weird. I got up slowly, gathering my thoughts. So Alex was already kicking huh? I still didn't know where Dana was. Two steps forward, one step back I guess. I picked up the discarded shotgun and left Dana's apartment. Might as well start looking for Alex. That's when I heard an explosion. I guess I could start there.

 _AN: Well isn't that a convenient place to leave off? Until next time folks, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	5. The New Alex

Chapter 5: The New Alex

 _AN: So... sorry about the wait folks. Just been trying to figure out what to write. Never fear, it'll probably be easier after this. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Darkness. That's what he experienced. There was a flash, and the sounds of gunfire. A body hitting the floor. Suddenly there was light. He could hear voices._

" _His name is... Mercer, Alex J. Next of kin, Mercer, Dana A. and Mercer, John A." One voice said._

 _What the other said didn't matter. He had questions. Who was he? How did he get here? He knew barely anything at the moment, and wanted answers. Those people... whoever they were, they might know something._

* * *

Alex Mercer shot up, gasping for air. He saw two men in hazmat suits staring at him, recoiling in what looked like horror.

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" One screamed in terror. They moved, and Alex heard the other scream something that had him falling off the table. "GET THE KILLTEAM IN HERE NOW!" The other man called out.

Alex stood slowly, trying to catch his footing. He groaned in obvious pain, stumbling towards the exit. The building he was in was… odd to say the least. It was pure white, with no discernible features to tell the doors apart. Alex eventually managed to find his way out of the building, hobbling away from it.

He could see a helicopter flying in. When it landed, soldiers began to spill out. They were talking to the scientists about… something. Apparently the soldiers didn't like what they heard, because the next thing Alex knew, they were shooting the scientists like nothing. That's when they turned and saw him.

Alex's eyes widened in terror. "Ahh shit." He gasped, trying to get away. Unfortunately he was trapped and the soldiers backed him into a corner. He raised his hands in surrender. "Wa-wa-wait! Wait!" He pleaded.

Unfortunately they didn't listen, and instead decided to shoot him as well. Alex screamed as the bullets impacted his body, and he dropped to his knees. He didn't fall forward, and instead stood up once more. 'I'm… not dead?' Alex thought in wonder. That's when the pain kicked in.

"Argh! What's happening to me?" He screamed, wanting to know the answer. Alex noticed a fence, and that the soldiers were aiming at him again. Alex did the natural thing and ran. Despite the soldiers shooting at him, nothing actually hit him. Alex managed to clear the fence with relative ease, despite it being at least 20 feet tall.

Alex chuckled. "That was… easy." He said. With no other option, Alex ran. He stumbled, still weak from… whatever happened. "I need to get the fuck out of here… I can't keep this up forever." He muttered as he jumped out of the alleyway.

Alex ran into the street when he saw it. A helicopter was flying right towards him. "No no no!" He muttered, running again. As he ran, Alex noticed just how... simple it was to keep on running. That wasn't the oddest thing however. Maybe it was the fact that he shrugged off a few rounds of gunfire with ease, or the fact that he was basically running through everything. Not just streets and alleys, he was jumping over cars, running up the sides of buildings.

Alex jumped from the building he was on, landing in the street below with a loud crunch. He ran down the street when the helicopter fired a missile. The missile sent a taxi flying right at Alex. His eyes widened. "Shit!" He cursed, putting his hands up to shield him. Alex closed his eyes, waiting for the taxi to crush him. What he got however, was him catching the taxi instead.

"What are you going to throw at me next, huh? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Alex roared, glaring at the helicopter. It moved a bit closer, the side doors opening. As soldiers began to pour out, Alex glared even harder at the helicopter.

"That's it." He muttered. Using his strength, Alex tossed the taxi at the helicopter. The two meet with a resounding 'BOOM!', and the resulting wreckage crushed the soldiers beneath it. Alex stared at his hands. "What the hell did I just do?" He asked himself. Alex shook his head. He needed to get to higher ground. Alex ran, going up the side of a building. Unfortunately another helicopter had decided to show up while Alex was running.

He dodged the gunfire from the helicopter. making his way to the roof. When he got to the roof, Alex decided to put his strength to use. He grabbed one of the nearby AC units, tossing it at the helicopter. His aim was true, and the chopper was destroyed, spiraling towards him. "Ahh shit." He muttered, before he was tossed off the roof by the burning wreckage.

Alex tumbled out of the sky, impacting the ground hard. He stood up slowly, groaning. "This can't be happening." He said. Alex stumbled up, trying to get his thoughts together. That's when the memories started to come up.

 _"Now he's Ex-Blacklight." One said._

 _"His name is Mercer..." Another one said._

Alex fell down, sitting against a wall. He closed his eyes. He needed to rest.

* * *

Alex woke to the sound of a gunshot. He opened his eyes, noticing a man standing above him. Another soldier. He was speaking into his radio. "Tango down. Terminated." He said.

Alex didn't hear what the other voice said. He slowly stood up, feeling the gunshot in his chest closing. He moved forward, alerting the soldier. The soldier gave a small scream, before Alex tossed him back, snapping his neck. The soldier... exploded into something. Whatever it was shot into Alex, causing him both relief and pain. Alex heard someone walking in his direction, and without thinking, changed. Tendrils wrapped around his body, giving him the appearance of the soldier he just killed. Alex looked at himself in shock. 'What the fuck?" He thought, not trusting his voice at the moment.

Alex saw another soldier, a commander, at the end of alley, walking over to him. "Report!" The commander barked. Alex said nothing, which angered the man. "Where the fuck is the target!?" He screamed, pointing at Alex. Alex still said nothing, instead reaching for the commander. Alex held him in the air, before tossing him to the ground.

Alex launched himself at the man, punching him over and over again, to the point that blood was starting to coat the walls. Suddenly, whatever was left of the commander shot towards Alex, who could do nothing but watch as new memories shot into his skull. Alex held his skull in pain, too busy dealing with the memories to notice the figure dropping down near him.

* * *

 _Earlier_

( _John's POV)_

I ran towards the explosion, shotgun in hand. Man this was going to be fun. Right now I was staring at the remains of what used to be a... AC unit and a chopper. Oh boy. That's when I noticed the Blackwatch soldiers surrounding the site. Wait, why weren't they attacking me? I looked at myself, realizing I was in 'uniform'. so to speak. Right... forgot about that. I should try to see how exactly I change forms later. Whatever. I walked up to one of the soldiers.

"What happened here?" I asked one of the soldiers. They shook their heads. "Reports showed that ZEUS was in the area. We just got here, so we can't exactly be sure." He told me. Crap, got to get them off of Alex's trail. I pointed in the direction I had just come from.

"I saw something running across the rooftops about two minutes ago. It matched the description of ZEUS. Send some men over there ASAP." I told the soldier. They moved immediately, and I got away with everyone none the wiser.

I tossed the shotgun away, and climbed the building next to me. Let's see if I could find Alex. I searched the streets, when I saw a Blackwatch soldier go down an alleyway. Oh boy here we go.

I quickly moved across the rooftops, trying to cover as much ground as silently as I could. When I got above the alleyway, I was there just in time to see Alex toss him to the ground. Alex wailed on the guy, and I saw punch after punch. Damn, it was something to see it on a TV screen, and to see it in real life.

Alex fell to his knees, the memories obviously affecting him. I jumped, landing in front of the alley. I saw that I was still dressed like a Blackwatch grunt, so I concentrated, and boom, back to my normal self. Alex stood up, changing back into his normal self. He clutched his head on obvious pain. "My sister. He knew where she was. I know where she is. I need to find her." He muttered.

I turned the corner, making it look like I was running. Alex flinched when he saw me. "Alex?" I breathed out, trying to sound shocked. He looked confused, and a bit lost. "Sorry... do I know you?" He asked, looking at me. I walked forward, letting the light hit my face so that he could see. "It's me. John. You don't remember?" I asked.

Alex flinched, as if remembering something hurt. Not surprising. He looked at me again. "You're... my brother, right?" He asked. I nodded.

"Look... you must have questions, and a lot of them. But we have to find Dana. You know where she is?" I asked hopefully. He nodded.

"Yeah, let's get going." He said, before running off. I nodded, chasing after him. Don't worry Dana, we're coming.

 _An: So... what do you think? I figured that missing memories notwithstanding, Alex would trust someone familiar. Now we have two very determined brothers trying to get their sister back. See you guys next time. Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	6. Rescue Mission

_AN: Heh... sorry again for the wait folks. Summers kicking off so my schedule should be better from here on out. Let's just dive on into the story!_

I followed Alex across the rooftops. Man, this was… it was something else to tell you the truth. The feeling of... everything was amazing. The way the wind hit my face, the way I flew past the buildings. I almost didn't see Alex stop in the street below until I focused in front of me. I landed as softly as possible next to him. He was staring intently at what looked like a military blockade.

"This the place?" I asked, looking at Alex. He nodded, then pointed at the blockade.

"Yeah... damn. Soldiers. They must know who we are. Come on, let's get a better view of the place." He said, jumping up. I quickly followed him, trying to make as little noise as possible. Alex crouched and looked down at the blockade. I took a knee next to him.

"Lot of people. Any idea how we're getting past them?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I've got a few. Say, do you know how to do this yet?" I asked, shifting into my Blackwatch disguise. Alex hesitated, before shaking his head. I sighed. Okay... baby steps.

"Look... do you remember what that guy you killed earlier looked like?" I asked. He nodded. "Good. Just concentrate on your memory. Use it to map out the look." I told him. Alex took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Suddenly tendrils consumed him, wrapping around his body. One second he was there, the next I was staring into the face of a gas mask. I clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good. You look convincing. Come on, let's get our sister back." I told him. I jumped off the roof, Alex following me. After we landed, I motioned Alex to follow me. We walked past the guards easily enough thankfully, and managed to slip into the building. Noticing that there was no one else inside, we slipped off the disguises. Alex immediately moved like a man possessed, running up the stairs. Ah shit, forgot about this part.

Alex stopped at a door, kicking it down. I looked in to see Dana struggling with a Blackwatch grunt.

"Get off me!" She spat out, elbowing him in the gut.

"Dana!" Alex yelled, running forward.

"Alex wait!" I shouted, reaching out to him. I was too late, and he moved, punching through the grunt. The grunt died instantly, falling on his back. Alex moved towards Dana, who flinched away from him. I moved past him, pulling her into a hug. She instantly started to struggle. Alex moved to step in, but I gave him a look. He backed up, hands in the air.

"Dana! Calm down! It's me! It's John!" I said, holding her face steady so that she could see me. I could finally get a good look at her. She looked fine for the most part, except for a bruise on her face.

"John?" She asked tearfully. I nodded, smiling at her.

"Hey. Kept you waiting huh?" I asked cheekily. She let out a chocked sob, pulling me into a tight hug. I could feel her tears staining my jacket. Normally I would be out of touch when it came to someone crying, but raising Dana gave me some experience. I shushed her, trying to calm her down.

"I... I thought you guys were dead." She managed to let out through the tears. I was about to say something when I heard a throat clear. I looked over to see Alex standing there sheepishly.

"Uh... sorry to interrupt, but we have to get moving." He said, actually looking guilty. Funny, looks like the virus made him more human. I nodded.

"You're right, it's not safe here. Dana, can you walk?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah... but how are we going to get past all the soldiers outside?" She asked. I winced. Shit, forgot about that. Alex cleared his throat.

"If I can offer a suggestion? We could try the roof." He said. Yeah... sounds about right. I gripped Dana's hand.

"Come on sis, we're getting out of here." I told her. Alex took off, and we followed him.

Thankfully we were decently close to the roof, so it wasn't that much of a run. There was only one problem. Looks like the military, or Blackwatch not sure, noticed the missing person. A helicopter faced us, flashing a spotlight down at us. I looked at Alex.

"On it." He said, moving to find something to throw. I turned to Dana.

"Look, Dana... you're about to see stuff you might not understand, alright? Just bear with me." I told her over the noise of the helicopter. She shook her head.

"John what the hell are you talking about-Holy shit!" She cut herself off as Alex tore an AC unit from an adjacent roof. It missed the helicopter barely, and said vehicle moved away instantly. I turned to Dana.

"You have anywhere we can hide?" I asked her. She stood there in a daze. Dammit. I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Dana? You there?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"Yeah! It's uh... it's an apartment I was watching for a friend. Near Times Square." She said. She flinched at the sound of an explosion. A few moments later Alex landed at our feet on his back. He groaned.

"That... that hurt a lot." He muttered, standing up.

"Alex, I'm getting Dana out of here. Can you lose them?" I asked, nodding towards the advancing chopper. Alex grinned.

"I got this. Where we meeting up?" He asked us. Dana told him the address, and he took off in the opposite direction. Smart move there. I picked up Dana, who yelped. I grinned at her.

"Hey sis? Hold on. Oh, and try not to freak out, okay?" I asked her. Before she could speak, I took off running. I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, making sure to keep the pace up. Eventually I decided that this was too obvious, so I jumped off the rooftop I was on, landing on the ground as softly as possible. Dana was clutching tightly to me.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!" She muttered, keeping her eyes shut. I chuckled. This was hilarious. Finally after a few minutes of running, we were at the apartment. I set Dana down gently. She stood up a bit slowly, but otherwise looked fine. Well she took that better than I expected- OW SON OF A BITCH! She just punched me! I held a hand up to my face and chuckled.

"I deserved that. Nice right hook by the way. You've been working out." I said, grinning at her. She stomped off inside. A few moments later Alex landed beside me.

"She looks happy." He said, eyeing her warily. "What exactly did you do?" He asked, looking at me. I shook my head, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Come on Alex, we've got some explaining to do." I said, leading him inside.

 _AN: So yeah... talk about a rescue mission. I figured that introducing Dana to the insanity that is the Mercer twins now would be easier to deal with than later. Not much else to say so until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	7. Remember Your Past

The three of us stood sat around a table, not saying a word. Finally Alex spoke up.

"So… would you like a drink or something?" He asked Dana. That broke the tension, and the three of us started chuckling.

"I'm fine. Thanks." She said, grinning. Then that grin faded, morphing into a scowl. "Actually you know what? No, I'm not fine." She snarled, slamming her hands on the table. Oh hell. Alex and I shared a look, knowing where this was going to lead. That's when Mount Dana finally erupted.

"What the fuck happened to the two of you guys!? You!" She pointed at Alex. "I've been researching that GENTECK for the weeks, trying to get YOU information." She told him. Alex simply had a blank look on his face. Dana groaned. "Honestly don't you remember? You wanted me to find out what was going on at the highest levels of GENTECK... anything about the Director of Research. Do..." She paused in the middle of her rant, noticing Alex's pained look. "Are... are you okay?" She asked him. Alex shook his head.

"Do you know what happened? Either of you?" He asked us. Before Dana could go on another rant, I held up a hand.

"Sis, before you try and kill him, why don't I explain what happened up to this point?" I asked her. She was fuming still, but nodded nonetheless. Okay, great. I sighed, leaning against the table. "It started about a month ago, when you contacted Dana out of the blue, much to our surprise, mainly due to the fact that you haven't spoken to either of us for the last six years or so. After Dana sent you some stuff she researched, you apparently disappeared. That was when she called me, which was about three days ago. With me so far?" I asked him. Alex slowly nodded.

"What happened next?" He asked me. I tensed, knowing this was going to suck, especially for Dana. I sighed once more.

"I went to your apartment looking for you. I found out you were heading to Penn Station. I followed you there, where we were found by Blackwatch. You gave me a vial of... something, and led them away. Then... you died. They shot you." I told him. Dana winced at the reminder. Alex on the other hand was groaning, clutching his head.

"I... remember. Dammit, I remember some stuff." He said, looking up at me. The pain faded, and his eyes widened. This ought to be good. "My apartment. There might be more at my apartment. Did you grab anything at all?" He asked me. I nodded, pulling out the flash drive.

"This. It's not a lot, but it could get us started." I told him. Alex shock his head.

"We're going to need all the information we can get. Come on, lets go." He said, standing up. Dana moved to stop him, but Alex looked at her. "You should stay put. They're probably combing the city for all of us." He said. I waved him off.

"Go. I'll catch up with you. But don't go inside without me, they might be waiting for us there." I warned him. Alex nodded, going out the door. Dana turned to look at me.

"So... what's wrong with him? Why can't he remember anything? And how the hell is he still alive?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"I... can't say for sure. It could be shock, repressing everything. It could be something else. We'll figure this out. As for how he's still alive? He was working on something called Blacklight. It... was a bioweapon he created. It was like something out of a horror film. When he died, he smashed a sample he had stolen. He never said what it did, but I can take a guess." I told her, looking at the door. Dana shook her head.

"This is fucking insane." She muttered, putting her hands up to her face. I sighed.

"Look... I swear we'll figure this out. Just stay here, alright?" I asked her. She shot up, pulling me into a hug.

"Please... be careful." She begged me. I hugged her back.

"Always." I said, reluctantly leaving the hug. I placed the flash drive next to her. "See what you can find, alright?" I asked. She nodded. With that, I ran out the door, and into the city.

* * *

I found Alex a few blocks from his apartment, on the roof of a building. I landed next to him as silently as possible, but he still heard me. He turned, studying my face.

"How is she?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"Dana is... that's a difficult thing to say. This is all a bit much for her. She's reacting as best she can. Best thing to do is give her time." I told him. He nodded.

"That's understandable. Considering all the shocks she's gone through in the last few days, it's safe to see that she needs some space." Alex said. He motioned for me to follow. I stopped him.

"You know they'll be waiting for us right?" I reminded him. He scoffed.

"They think they're in control. But they have no idea what I... no what we're capable of." He said, turning to move. I stopped him again.

"Before you go charging head on into this, we have to take into account civilians. Let's try and avoid collateral damage." I told him. Alex raised an eyebrow. I shook my head. "Look, despite all that's happened and going to happen, because I just know that things are just going to get worse, we have to be... moderately better than Blackwatch. Agreed?" I asked him. Alex looked thoughtful for a minute, before nodding.

"Agreed. Come on, let's see what we can find." He said, hopping off the roof and into the alley below. I quickly followed him, checking to make sure that there was no Blackwatch near us. Nothing so far thankfully. We made our way up to Alex's apartment, still keeping an eye out. When we arrived, Alex paused at the mess. He turned to see some of the various photos on the wall. I snorted, pointing to one picture in particular. Alex studied it.

"What happened here?" He asked me, chuckling at the sight. It showed us standing on either side of Dana, all of us soaking wet, with me and Alex having some cuts and bruises on us. All of us had massive grins on our faces.

"That? Dana was dating some rich kid that invited her to this big boat party. You and I, being the responsible brothers we were, decided to follow them, behind her back. Kid got a little grabby when he thought no one was watching, so Dana kicked him in the balls. Once his friends noticed that, we joined in. After we beat most of them to hell and back, all three of us decided to literally jump ship." I explained, chuckling at the memory. Thinking quickly, I moved to take the picture out of the frame, pocketing it. Alex simply grinned.

I saw that grin fade when his gaze fell upon a picture of him and Karen Parker. While he was staring at it, I moved over to his desk, checking to see if I missed anything. I glanced at some files, noticing some odd names like... Nigrum Lux and Hyacintho Lux? The first parts didn't mean anything to me, but lux... I may be wrong, but lux was supposed to be Latin for light. These could be important.

I moved to grab the files, trying to figure out where to put them. I was tempted to put them in my jacket, but I doubt that they would fit there. That's when I felt something... drop into one of my pockets. Quickly reaching in, I found a... note? I opened it.

 _Hey buddy! Listen, you don't know me, but I've been keeping an eye on you. Now I know that sounds bad, but hear me out, alright? Let's just say that I'm happy you can adjust to this situation so well. I'm also glad you bonded with Dana. She really needed someone to watch out for her. Anyways unto business. I figured that you would need some help down the line, and since I couldn't offer you any of my usual goodies, I figured I'd give you this one. After you fell unconscious, I had a friend come over and adjust your jacket. It's still the same thing, don't worry about that, it just has some improvements made. The main one is that you have your own personal hammerspace! Think RPG inventory space, but not as overpowered. You cannot carry anything heavier than forty pounds. Anything else is free game. I probably added more stuff, but that's all I can recall at the moment. Hope to see you soon. Your guardian angel_

 _Orion_

I stared at the note, gaping. What the fuck? Seriously, what the actual fuck does that mean?! Okay, keep calm. If this...note was telling the truth, I guess it wouldn't hurt to test it. I reached around, searching for a pocket that wasn't like the others. I finally found one on the inner left side of my jacket. Reaching in, I could tell it was deeper than it was supposed to be. Good enough for me. I grabbed the files, stuffing them in the pocket. Lo and behold, they went in without any trouble.

I looked over at Alex, who had suddenly groaned in pain. I moved over to him.

"Hey Alex, you alright?" I asked him, grabbing him by the shoulder. He clutched his head, but nodded.

"Yeah... just remembering something. Flashes, but I think she was important to me." He said, pointing at the picture of him and Karen. I shrugged.

"I can't say. Dana might know something." I told him. Before he could respond, I heard a beep. Alex heard it too, if his head snapping up was any indication. I said what the both of us were thinking. "Well shit."

With that, the apartment exploded.

* * *

Honestly, the whole thing didn't really register until we went flying out of the window, which was odd really.

It went from 'Oh, man that's a lot of pressure' to 'OH GOD THE PAIN WHY!?' in a matter of seconds. Thankfully it passed. Unfortunately as soon as it did, I landed face first in the asphalt. I heard a something crash next to me. That was probably Alex. I heard a muffled 'Ow.' Yep. I stood up, more dazed than anything, and Alex did the same. Alex pointed to a man walking briskly to an APC, surrounded by men.

"He's the one. He's got to be." He told me. Before we could get to him, I heard the sound of choppers approaching. Sure enough, there was two of them hovering right above us, dropping off troops. I looked at Alex, who shrugged. "It's up to you. Fight or flight?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "Don't have a choice here. Besides, we can't let these guys get away." I said. He nodded, before ducking as one grunt opened fire. The two of us charged in separate directions. I moved towards a soldier talking into his radio, grabbing his head and slamming it into my knee. His head caved in, and he turned into biomass that shot towards me. I didn't have time to register the new memories before another soldier grabbed his radio. Can't let them call for backup.

I shot towards him, grabbing him by neck and slamming him into the ground with a sickening crack. I turned to see Alex, having slaughtered the rest of the soldiers, grabbing an empty taxi, tossing it at one of the choppers. Oh yeah, forgot about those. Let's see... oh there we go! I grabbed a fallen stop sign, tossing it like a javelin at the pilot of the second chopper. Both sped out of control, crashing and burning. Alex turned to me, taking the form of a grunt.

"Come on, we've got to get him. He could know what happened." He said. He's right. Concentrating, I pulled up the image of one of the grunts that I had just killed, and I was able to make it perfectly. I grabbed a discared rifle and a radio, tossing both to Alex. He looked at me in confusion. I sighed.

"We can't just run up without a gun and equipment. We'll instantly look suspicious. It's best to have this just in case." I told him. He chuckled and nodded. We made our way up to where the nearby park, where the guy had taken shelter. Thankfully our disguises held up, and Alex was able to radio in the all clear sign. As soon as they were nearly out of the tunnel, and therefore out of everyone else's sight, we moved.

Alex instantly went for the kill, pummeling the poor bastard into a puddle of biomass. Thankfully unlike the game, this dumbass only took two other guards with him, so I made short work of them. I was behind them when Alex struck. I grabbed the first one by the head, twisting hard. As soon as I heard the crack, I shot towards the other guy, slamming his head into the wall. With them out of the way, I turned to Alex, who was grasping his head in pain. I can agree with him on that, memory transfer hurt like a bitch.

Suddenly he stumbled forward, so I moved to catch him.

"He have anything on him?" I asked Alex, standing him up. He nodded.

"Yeah. Come on, we have to get out of here. Need to get back to Dana." He said, running out of the tunnel, and thankfully away from the military. I quickly followed him, knowing what was going to happen next. Genteck.

* * *

We dashed across the rooftops, thankfully not drawing attention to ourselves. By the time we arrived at Dana's safehouse, the sun was about to set. Once I made sure that no one was looking, I pulled out the files. Damn, they were undamaged. This... could be useful. I followed Alex through the door, where the two of us saw Dana glued to the screen of a laptop.

"Hey sis." I called out. Dana jumped out of her seat, quickly turning to face us.

"Jesus, don't do that!" She hissed at us. I smirked.

"Sorry, but you were the one glued to that screen. You should pay more attention to your surroundings. You find anything?" I asked her. She nodded, pointing to the laptop she working on.

"Yeah, how about you? Your apartment?" She asked Alex. He shook his head.

"Nope. Nothing left there." He said with a sigh. Dana shrugged.

"Well, doesn't matter. I've been looking at your laptop." She said, turning around.

"Laptop?" Alex asked, moving and looking over Dana's shoulder. She nodded.

"Yeah, it came in a package the day after you went AWOL. Look." She said, pulling up images. Elizabeth Greene. She looked just like she did in the game. Alex frowned.

"I... I've seen that girl before." He said, clutching his head. Dana nodded.

"Makes sense. There are only two names in the file. One is yours. The second is this woman: Elizabeth Greene. She's still in isolation at the GENTEK building. Do you know who she is?" She asked the two of us. Both of us shook our heads.

"Whoever she is, she probably knows more than we do." I said, studying the picture. Dana frowned.

"My god, she's just a girl. What kind of fucking monsters are these people?" She asked. I saw Alex close his eyes, trying to think. He growled.

"I can't remember." He said, moving away from the two of us. I glanced at Dana, who was giving me a worried look. I patted her on the shoulder.

"Remember, we'll get through this." I told her. I put the files down in front of her. "Here, found these at Alex's apartment. Might have something." I told her. Leaving her to tear apart the files, I made my way to the roof of the apartment, where I knew Alex was going. I found him upstairs, growling and muttering.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked him. He looked up at me, and I could see the frustration in his eyes.

"I hate it." He told me. I waited for him to continue. "I hate the fact that I can't remember anything, that my family is in danger because of me. I hate that every time we've gone to search for answers, we've just caused more pain and destruction." He told me. Alex fell to his knees, and I saw that... he was crying. I... I haven't seen him cry in forever. I think the last time I saw him cry was... when we were kids. I kneeled down next to him, pulling him into a hug. He froze, but slowly melted into it. We stayed like that for a while. Finally I pulled away.

"Look... I can't say that I know what you're going through. I don't. But I do know that I'm here for you, and Dana is as well." I told him. He refused to meet my eyes.

"What if... I don't want to remember who I am? What if..." He never finished that sentence. Jesus... he was scared of remembering. He was actually scared. The game never showed what was happening to Alex in between missions. It was always kill, kill, kill. Now though... I just see a saw a man frightened by what he had done and seen. The virus had done more than revive Alex. It had given him emotions, it had... made him human.

I grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him up. "If it helps, you're already infinitely better than before. We'll get through this, together." I said, holding him up. Alex finally smiled and nodded.

"Together. You ready to head out?" He asked me. I shook my head, yawning. Looks like I still needed sleep.

"Give me thirty minutes. Just need to rest." I told him, leading the both of us back to the apartment. I know that I'm trying to delay the inevitable, but it looks like I'm going to change something after all. Alex won't consume Elizabeth Greene. Not on my watch.

 _AN: Whoa boy, got a little heavy there didn't it? Honestly, playing through the first game, I hardly saw any moments that Alex was actually worried. My reasoning's going to be good, I assure you. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	8. Gentek

So good news is that I was right. Thirty minutes of sleep and I feel like I've rested the whole eight hours. After that little nap, I grabbed Alex, bringing him up to a building across from the Gentek Headquarters.

"So… we're going to have to find a guy to get inside." He told me, shifting into his disguise and getting ready to sprint off. I stopped him before he could move.

"Wait a minute. Look at those." I told him, pointing towards some glowing devices. Viral detectors. Not good. "Those don't look promising. Five bucks that they're there for you. If they start beeping when we're getting close, head into that corner. I think that might be a blind spot. And don't just run in or do any fancy flips and tricks. Got it?" I asked him. He nodded, and with that we moved.

Surprise surprise, as soon as we got close the detectors started to beep. I nodded to Alex and moved towards the blind spot I vaguely remembered from the game. When we got there, Alex pointed to one soldier who stood out from all the rest. He was definitely the commander.

"Him. That's the guy. How're we getting him?" He asked me. I thought for a few moments, before coming up with an idea.

"I'll try and discreetly get him. If the scanner starts blaring some kind of alarm, start a bit of chaos and get out of here. Regroup at the same building we started at, got it?" I asked him. He nodded, and I walked out. As I walked towards the commander, waiting for the detectors to go off. Wait... nothing? What the hell? Ah, that can wait. Time to get the commander.

Making sure that no one could see us, I walked up to him and snapped his neck. Thankfully consume seemed to be an automatic thing, because he disappeared in a small swarm of biomass. I had to take a knee as the memories hit.

* * *

 _(Start of Web of Intrigue #002)_

 _1stLt Todd Chupka: "What the hell happened in there?"_

 _Soldier: "Team One dropped comm just after they entered the holding cell area."_

 _1stLt Todd Chupka: "That's it, close it off. No one goes in or comes out of the Gentek building. I want it sealed with Level Four protocols."_

 _(End of Web of Intrigue #002)_

* * *

Goddamn, that's never gonna feel right. Luckily nobody noticed where I had fallen, so I got up, picking up the discarded rifle on the ground. Moving over to the door, I waved Alex over. Activating the scanner, the door opened and we were in. Walking through the facility, I led Alex to an elevator I knew would take us to Greene. While we were waiting for it to arrive, Alex looked over at me.

"So... that thing didn't go off when you got near it. You have any idea why?" He asked me. I shrugged.

"Hell if I know. Maybe it's a fluke or something. All I know is that it helped out, so I ain't complaining. We can figure this stuff out later. For now, we have someone we need to talk to." I said, gesturing to the elevator that had arrived. We walked in, hitting the button for the top floor. We said nothing as the elevator ascended, simply shifting back to our normal forms.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Me and Alex looked to each other, shrugged and stepped off. Immediately we found the remains of whatever Blackwatch sent in here. Bodies littered the floor, some stuck to the ceilings and others clutching the walls. I whistled.

"She really fucked these guys up. You sure this is a good idea?" I asked Alex, who was staring at our surroundings in shock. He didn't say anything until I nudged him. He shook his head, focusing.

"Honestly? She's our only lead. Lesser of two evils ya know? Come on, let's go find her." He told me, taking off in Greene's direction. After what seemed like hours of moving through the maze of corpses and growths, we finally found her. She was simply sitting inside a glass chamber, on top of an examination table. I blinked, taking in her appearance. I guess the picture in her file was outdated, because Greene looked extremely different.

Her outfit was an extremely torn and transparent hospital gown. Her hair was long and untamed, not the mess it was originally. Alex stepped into the chamber, and I followed him inside.

"Elizabeth Greene?" He asked her, stepping towards her. She looked up at the two of us, revealing her eyes. They were black with red irises. Ah shit.

 ** _"The time for waiting is over."_** She muttered, staring at us.

"Alex." I warned, taking a step back. Too late. Greene moved faster than we could register, knocking the two of us against the wall. DAMN! She hits like a fucking truck! I groggily got to my knees, Alex attempting to do the same thing. Greene walked over to us, hips swaying.

"I don't understand." Alex groaned out, looking at Greene. She eyed the two of us, smiling.

 _ **"Watch."**_ She told us, reaching forward. Suddenly I saw flashes of memories. Hope, Idaho. Greene getting infected. Her plans for Manhattan. Then suddenly, it was over. Alex was on his knees and I was on my back. Looking up I could see... damn. Greene's got a nice ass. GAH! Off topic! Focus! As I was saying, Greene was reaching for the wall, making it crumble into nothing. She turned to look at us.

 _ **"I am your Mother."**_ She told Alex. Then she looked at me, raising an eyebrow. Walking over, she kneeled next to me and cupped my face, giving me an eyeful of her cleavage. Again, off topic. _**"But you... you are different. Interesting."**_ She told me, her fingers grazing my cheek. With that out of the way, she turned and walked out of the hole, dropping into the city.

Alex looked at where she was in horror. "My god... what have we done?" He whispered, still on his knees. Suddenly, my attention was on our right, where I could see the growths from earlier starting to bulge. Suddenly they burst open, revealing the Hunters. One of them roared at us, catching Alex's attention. It charged at the two of us like a bull, swiping at us and knocking us out of the hole.

We landed rather fast, the fall barely registering. I stood up first, noticing the soldiers had their guns already drawn. Suddenly their attention was on the Hunters that had dropped down after us. Alex moved faster than I did, snatching up a soldier next to us and consuming him. He winced at the memories, but shook his head.

"Come on! There's a base nearby. We can contain them there! Hell, we might even have a chance at fighting them." He said, sprinting off. I quickly followed him, noticing the looks the Hunters were giving us. Hopping onto a roof, Alex pointed forward at a hole in one roof. "There! Come on!" He shouted, ducking under some debris a Hunter threw at them. Seeing him drop in was kinda hilarious, not gonna lie. It certainly helped when I did the same, making the soldiers surrounding Alex flinch, and I swear I heard a shriek. Nice.

Suddenly the Hunters dropped down into the group, mauling one poor bastard. That's when the shooting started. Honestly I could hardly feel it, simply following Alex to a weapons rack full of rocket launchers while the lone hunter was attacking the grunts. Alex tossed one to me, grabbing one for himself.

"Here! It's easy to use. Just point and shoot!" He told me, taking aim at one hunter. He fired, hitting it in the face and making it stagger back.

"Don't know what you fuckers are, but we're definitely gonna kill you!" I called out, taking aim at the hunter Alex hit. Point and shoot. I squeezed the trigger, letting the rocket fly. Well shit this was easy! Another rocket from Alex and me got the hunter to start bleeding from the mouth. Alex took the chance to charge it, reaching for the hunter, much to the horror of the marines surrounding us.

"Holy shit! He's just sucking it dry!" One called out, seeing the tendrils surrounding Alex as he consumed the hunter. Alex groaned for a bit before reeling back, his hands transforming into massive claws. He grinned ferally as he gazed at them.

"Oh...yeah." He muttering, bringing his claws up to his face. The soldiers surrounding him opened fire, trying to take him down. Alex pounced at one, vivisecting him and two other guys. As that happened, more hunters dropped in, ready for the kill.

Alex landed near me, looking at the hunters. "More of them! And we're just getting started!" He told me, sprinting for one that had separated from the others. I aimed my rocket launcher, hitting the hunter in the back. It turned to roar at us, only to get a fistful of claw in it's face. Alex tore into the hunter, carving it up like a turkey. It finally started coughing up blood, trying to stumble away. Alex looked to me with a raised eyebrow. What was he...? OH! Right!

I charged forward, grabbing the hunter by the face. Through it's pain, it found time to glare at me and snarl. I started to squeeze, crushing the hunter's skull like a grape. I stumbled back as I consumed it, trying to stay focused.

* * *

 _(Start Hivemind Node #001)_

 _Kill. Eat. Survive._

 _Mother commands it. Kill small ones. Stop small ones._

 _Kill. Eat. Survive. Spread. More for the hive. More for Mother._

 _(End Hivemind Node #001)_

* * *

I shoot awake, gasping for air. I was still on my feet, but I was growling like a hunter. My hands had changed into claws, but not how I expected. Instead the blades being the size of machetes, they were the size of knives. Kinda like the ones Alex had in the second game. A hunter charged at me, gaping maw aimed at me. I ducked under it, bringing up my own claws. While mine weren't as damaging as Alex's, they were faster. It was almost instinct, me tearing into the hunter. It never stood a chance, and by the time I realized what I had done, the hunter was already vomiting blood. I swept the hunter's legs from under it, jamming my claws into it's eyes. As I consumed it, I turned to Alex.

He was in his element. Bodies were flying left and right, and what military grunts he didn't kill the hunters took care of. I could see we were starting to get swarmed so I gestured to Alex, pointing at the fuel tanks around us. He nodded and grabbed a discarded rocket launcher. I did the same thing, taking aim at a fuel tank. Hunters charged to stop us, but they were caught in the new explosions that rang out through the base. Two down.

I threw down my empty rocket launcher, tossing another one to Alex and taking an assault rifle. I jammed the barrel into a fallen hunter's mouth, emptying the gun into it. No time for toying with these guys. Alex had taken care of another three tanks. One to go. Kicking up a grenade launcher, and thanks to a quick memory check, I was able to use it with ease. Taking aim at the last fuel tank, I let loose a torrent of grenades. As that happened, I heard something gurgle behind me.

Looking back, I saw a hunter standing behind me, three claws sticking through it's neck. As it dropped, Alex stood behind it, smirking.

"You should look behind you more often. Almost got you there." He told me. I was about to respond when the building exploded, sending the two of us flying.

I'm never going to get used to the fact that we can shrug off something like an explosion. Thankfully me and Alex were tossed into an empty building, so no one to worry about. Well there was one issue...

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I roared, due to the fact that I was stuck in some concrete. I mean, with my new strength it would be easy, but that explosion tossed me so badly that half my body was stuck in the concrete, and it hurt like hell. I was admittedly kicking a bit, so badly in fact that I'm sure I kicked Alex in the face. It took a minute, but he finally got me out. As I dusted myself off, I could see Alex putting his jaw back in place. I chuckled and rubbed my head sheepishly.

"Sorry about that. Don't know what came over me. You okay?" I asked him, looking him over. He nodded, testing his jaw. He seemed a bit... subdued now.

"Yeah. I'm good. We should... head home. We just... It's been a long day." He told me, a tired look in his eyes. Yeah... I guess he's right. He offered me his hand. Taking it, I stood up. Outside I could see just some of the chaos that we had caused. Suffice to say it wasn't pretty.

"Come on man. Let's go." I said, wrapping an arm around Alex. He didn't move.

"What did we just do? Did we... did we just doom the city? Greene... she's not human. You saw her." He shook my arm off and fell back against the wall. Sliding down, he had his hands over his head. "How can we just... go home after doing something like this?" He asked me. Shit. I forgot this Alex was more human than the game one. I kneeled next to him.

"Hey, look at me." I told him. It took him a few minutes, but he finally did. I held up my hand, concentrating slightly. It changed into the claws I had. "If we can do this in only a day of having... whatever this is, imagine what we can do in a three days, or even a week. We may have started this, but we can end this." I told him, changing my hand back. I stood up, offering my hand. "Come on, Dana'll kill me if she finds you like this. That, or she'll figure out you can't die easily and it'll give her an excuse to kill you. Besides, we have to get you out of this funk." I said, grinning. Alex gave me a small smile, taking my hand.

"Well then, you have any suggestions?" He asked me. I wrapped an arm around him.

"I've got one or two in mind..." I said, eyeing a bar that was a few streets down.

* * *

The two of us stumbled through the door of Dana's little safehouse, laughing. As we stumbled up the stairs, Dana was there to greet us. Her nose crinkled as she stared at the two of us.

"Are you idiots seriously drunk? Now of all times?" She asked the two of us, arms crossed. I shrugged, accidentally dropping Alex. Ignoring the "Ow." That followed, I waved Dana off.

"We're only buzzed. Well, at least I am. Not sure about Einstein over there." I said, jerking my thumb at Alex, who was on the ground. "Sides, pretty sure our metabolisms been shot to hell. We'll be good in an hour." I said, stepping over the still prone Alex. Hearing a snore coming from Alex, I realized that he was actually out. Dana looked at the two of us, glaring.

"How much did you drink?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose. I thought for a moment, trying to count correctly. Let's see... carry the four, add a three... subtract the panda... now I'm starting to ramble.

"Uh... if we said the whole bar would you get mad?" I asked her. The resounding slap woke up Alex. As she stormed away, I chuckled. Ah, I've taught her well.

"Huh? Wazzup?" Alex muttered, twisting to face me. I just tossed him over my shoulder, setting him in a corner.

"Just rest man. Just rest." I told him, taking my own corner. You know, breaks like these really help. Besides, call me a pessimist, but I feel like we ain't gonna have another one of these for a while. I'll let Alex be happy for now. He's already earned it.

 _AN: God I need to start updating more. Ah well. Nothing witty to say right now folks, just hoping you guys are liking these. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


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